rest on one's oars
To stop trying; stop working for a while; rest.
The man who wants to become a millionaire can never rest on his oars.
A high school student who wants to go to college cannot rest on his oars.
ride on one's coattails
To succeed in a certain endeavor by attaching oneself to the greater weight of another person or corporate body.
"We will never get our Ph.D. program approved on our own," said the head of the modern dance department, "but we might succeed if we stay in the Division of Fine Arts, riding on their coattails, as it were."
right down one's alley
right up one's alley
In accordance with one's specialty or predilection.
This kind of preclassical music is right up Bill's alley; after all, he wrote his Ph.D. on Bach.
rob the till
have one's hand in the till
To steal money in your trust or for which you are responsible.
The supermarket manager suspected that one of the clerks was robbing the till.
Mr. Jones deposited one thousand dollars in their joint savings account and told his wife not to rob the till.
The store owner thought his business was failing until he discovered that the treasurer had his hand in the till.
roll up one's sleeves
To get ready for a hard job; prepare to work hard or seriously.
When Paul took his science examination, he saw how little he knew about science. He rolled up his sleeves and went to work.
rolling stone gathers no moss
A person who changes jobs or where he lives often will not be able to save money or things of his own. A proverb.
Uncle Willie was a rolling stone that gathered no moss. He worked in different jobs all over the country.
rub salt into one's wounds
To deliberately add pain when one feels shame, regret, or defeat.
Must you rub salt into my wounds by telling me how much fun I missed by not going to the party?
ruffle feathers
ruffle one's feathers
Insult or disturb slightly; offend.
The author ruffled some feathers by his portrait of his hometown.